One-Shots
by Apollo's Little Angel
Summary: One-shots of various characters in various situations that take place with the campers of camp half-blood and maybe a few from Camp Jupiter. Rated "T" because I always rate things "T" and it's mostly romantic, so yeah...
1. Chapter 1

**Wow. Can you say the worst summery ever? And to think it took me 12 minutes to think of that much. O_o And I know I should be working on Anna's story, but this was just too cute of an idea to not write. :) Anyway, Enjoy!**

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_Annabeth Case and the Bully Jellyfish_

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Usually, the camp's magical boarders kept us all cool in the summer and slightly cold with a few snowflakes gently falling from the sky. _But that isn't the case today,_ I thought, crankily. The heat was getting on everyone's nerves and almost everyone—except cabin seven. _Stupid sun-loving, show-offing, heat immune children of Apollo._ As I thought that, I could literally feel the room sweltering up even more.

I would have wiped the sweat trailing down my cheekbone, but my arms felt too heavy to move. Glancing around my half-brothers and sisters, I could tell they were equally exhausted as I was. Most of my siblings were sleeping off the heat. The few that bothered to stay awake were Joyce, Lily, Kayla, and Damien who were silently trying to play chess, on the table in the corner but stopped because even a simple game was too hard for them.

On the other side of the room Malcolm sat, trying to catch up on some psychology and sociology at his desk. The youngest of all the campers in the Athena cabin sat a small boy, doodling on one of the SMART boards. Michael was only nine, but he had the intelligence of a ten year old. If you think that's not impressive or not a major feat, just remember this is the only kid in Camp-Half-Blood—maybe even the world—who cannot see the fun in bubble wrap. But don't get the idea that he wasn't fun or childish either. He was a sweet little boy who loved playing with everyone. He had this babyish face that was too cute to ignore with grey eyes and light brown hair—he looked like a plump snow angel, though I can't really tell you why.

"Hey, 'Beth," He asked, kinda sleepy, rubbing his eyes. "I wanna go to sleep."

Not moving from my plank position on my bed, I mumbled. "Mm-kay. Night, Mike."

He trudged over to the empty bed beside me. "Will you sing me a song?"

I was ready to laugh in his face, thinking it was a joke. Everyone knew I couldn't sing. If he wanted a singer he could go out and ask Will to sing for him. But then I saw the look in his crystal eyes—he was serious. It made me want to melt even more than I already was. I got out of my bed, smiling weakly. "Sure, babe. What lullaby do you want to hear?"

"The one Felicia sung last night," he smiled, lying down, ready.

_Hear goes nothing,_ I thought to myself. "Blow the wind, blow, swift and low, blow. Swift and

low, blow the wind o'er the ocean. Breakers rolling to the coastline. Bringing ships to harbor. Gulls against the morning sunlight, flying off to freedom."

That was when Malcolm snapped. "Okay, look," he yelled, throwing his book down. "I need to focus on my studies. Michael, grow up—no one listens to lullabies anymore. Annabeth, why don't you go annoy your boyfriend or something?"

I pet Michael's hair lovingly. "Go to sleep. When you wake up, it'll be better," I smiled. Turning my attention to Malcolm. "And you can go to the crows for all I care."

Just as I was about to open the door, Percy walked in.

"Speak of the devil," Malcolm muttered under his breath.

Not paying any attention, Percy smiled. "C'mon, Annabeth. I'm here to save your day!"

"How so?"

He winked. "You'll see…"

**OOO**

Having a boyfriend who's the son of the sea god has it perks. Percy's surprise was jumping into the ocean and swimming around the deep end. At first, the blue-green waves were ice cold and no matter how hot a day it was, I would not go in there—no thank you. But then Percy controlled the water to be more warm and I had to smile. Only my seaweed brain could make me happy when I was as irritable as I was. Slowly, I began to splash around as have a blast, forgetting for a moment that I was in my mother's immortal enemy's domain.

Percy and I splashed, sawm, kissed, held hands—he even wrapped me around in an air bubble—like he did our second kiss—and took me deep into the water and showed me off to all his fish friends. The naiads were green with envy. Or maybe they were just naturally the perfect shade of green, like Percy's eyes.

_This is my girlfriend, Annabeth,_ he presented to a horde of jellyfish. Then, to my horror, a jellyfish stung my foot. I seethed in agony as the sting began to blister. I was very low beneath the surface, but I swan as fast and frantic as I could to reach land.

In my mind, I could hear my mother's voice. _This is why I told you to stay away from Jackson. He'll hurt you._ I rolled my eyes. I was mad, but not _that_ made. _Gods, Mother…_

When I broke the surface, I scrambled to Will, who was shooting his arrows, trying not to cry. I failed. "A jellyfish stung me!"

He looked down at my left leg. The burn ran from my ankle about half-way up my leg. It was red and inflamed, looking fleshy and shiny. There was some blood dripping out of the wound, but thankfully, not too much. "Okay," he said, standing up. "I'll have to carry you." Without another word, he swept me off my feet and carried me to a bed in the infirmary. "So because I'm a naturalist, I'm not going to give you much ambrosia or nectar if any at all okay?"

I punched his arm. "Why not?"

He rubbed his arm, wincing in pain. "You know too much can burn you up. Besides, mortals aren't completely stupid. There are better ways to treat this."

Breathing in and out, I groaned. "Fine! What are you going to do?"

"We need too—"

Percy burst through the door. "I donate my pee!"

Despite the pain I was in, I couldn't help but stifle a giggle. As usual, that guy mind is fifty percent sea, fifty percent weed. Will smiled too.

"Thank you for the offer, but your girlfriend doesn't need your pee. That's the worst thing to do for a sting like this. First, you remove the jellyfish—"

"Done," I said, trying to move things along.

"Take out the stingers with a dull knife," he said, demonstrating things as he went along.

"Then dab it with vinegar." He smiled again, teasingly. "Good job, Annabeth. You were such a big girl throughout the entire operation!"

I kicked his leg. "Out," I laughed. Once Will left, Percy sat down beside me.

"I'm sorry about that, wise girl. You okay?"

I nodded, leaning my head on his shoulder, realizing he had something behind his back. "What's—"

It was that jellyfish in a plastic baggy. Part of me wanted to scream my head off, while the other half wanted me to punch Percy square in the face.

"Before you freak out," he said quickly. "Hubert has something he'd like to say to you!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Hubert?"

Slightly defensive, Percy huffed. "Yes, Hubert. It's a very common jellyfish name." I laughed, not being able to stop for a few minutes. Once I finally calmed down enough, Percy tried again. "So Hubert—" I laughed again. Not as long or loud as the first time, but c'mon. Give me a break. "He wants to say he's sorry. So, to make sure you hear it yourself, put the bag to your ear.

I did as I was told, listening closely. At first, I didn't hear anything, but then I heard a tiny, squeaky voice. It reminded me of something I might hear out of a cartoon. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, princess of the seas. I harmed you and for that, I am sorry."

_Wait,_ I thought. _How can I hear him?_

The jellyfish must have been looking up to Percy a little too much, because that sucker has a real sassy mouth… no pun intended. _"You can hear me because I choose to let you hear me. I could also talk to mortals, but I don't want to, because like you, they're boring_.

I almost burst into tears. It was too cute! It reminded me of Percy alright—witty and sassy to anyone who ticked him off. I looked at my kelp-for-brains boyfriend, who was smirking, waiting for my reaction. "Well?"

I kissed his cheek softly. "I accept his apology and I love him very much… Can I keep him?"

It came on as a shock to him, but eventually, he said, "Yeah. Go ahead… That is, if he doesn't mind."

He did. I took him anyway. If there was one thing I knew about stubborn people of the sea, it was that all it takes is a little time before you became best friends with them.

**OOO**

At the end of summer, when I went back home for school, I took Hubert with me. he was—like I thought—stubborn at first, but we quickly got acquainted and loved talking to each other. Every night before we would talk about everything that happened in our day. (And might I say Hubert saw _many_ things going on in my cabin!) So here he sits behind me at my desk, threatening the neighbor's dog to shut up or else, as I finish my homework , while writing in my diary, thinking about my Percy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm so happy you guys liked my first one-shot! And I got one review asking if I do requests, the answer is yes, I will. Just tell me what you guys want! :) Enjoy! By the way, this one is a bit more sad. And a bit shorter, but I'll try to make them longer in the ****future**

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The winter after the Gaea War, it was the sorrowful anniversary of Bianca di Angelo and Zoe Nightshade's death. In honor of their sacrifice, Percy, Grover and Thalia decided it was best to visit the Hover Dam with the rest of the seven.

When they first got there, the trio unknowing started to make endless puns again, not even noticing the other's bewildered expressions as they walked around the milestone in their previous quest. This was one of the few happy memories they shared together on this quest. Think about that, made being here harder on everyone.

"Y'know," Thalia said. "I never did get to use that dam restroom. I've been waiting long enough to go!"

Percy smiled. "Yeah, and what about that dam t-shirt? One of those would have been nice too."

Grover put his arms around both his friends. "And I want to take a dam picture of us together!"

They started to laugh, the others still watching in confusion, when the trio finally got themselves together, Leo smirked. "Do you think you got all those dam puns out of your system yet?"

Sure enough, that set everyone off and soon, the gang made their way to the dam snack bar—insisted by Percy. He couldn't leave knowing they never made it to the snack bar.

As they ate, old memories came back to the trio as endless puns were shot back and forth by everyone. Percy half-expected Zoe to just appear and yell at them, frustrated. But Zoe wasn't there, and he suddenly became aware of the fact that even through the hunt er was irritating and slightly unlikable, he would have preferred it if she was still alive.


	3. Chapter 3

**This one-shot it for Soccerstar! I hope you enjoy it!... I know it's not **_**exactly**_** like what you had hoped for, but I hope you like it all the same! :)**

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_Bianca, Nico and Leo's first official date_

Bianca di Angelo thought long and hard about choosing rebirth. She wanted to fix the mistakes she made in her past life. It was a slim chance—almost impossible—but, what if she found herself face-to-face with her brother again? She wouldn't know it was his, obviously, but she had a firm belief that if you truly love something you'd die for it, the memories would live in your heart.

So she went through with it. In her new life, she was Raven Lavigne. Raven showed up to Camp Half-Blood after the Giant War, scrapped and bruised. Not too badly—after all, in a fit of fear, she screamed bloody murder and skeletons burst through the ground, grabbing the horrifying creature down into the depths of the earth. Poor Raven had no idea what she was doing or going on. She didn't plan on being attacked by a… whatever that that thing with the horns was. She thanked her lucky stars she changed courses and went into the woods when she did. And she most certainly didn't expect to be told by a middle-aged centaur that she was half-Greek god. Funny how life throws curve balls at you like that.

When she got to her cabin—cabin 13, the one they all knew she belonged in—she saw a teenager with dark hair and dark brown eyes, olive colored skin, dressed in black.

"Hi. I'm Raven," she said, walking up to the boy. "I'm supposed to stay here they said?"

Without looking up, the boy scoffed. "You got it wrong, I think. No one but me stays in the Hades cabin."

She laughed, nervous. Not because the boy was intimidating—in fact, Raven thought he was kinda cute in a little boy acting older than her really was way—she was nervous about asking the kind people around camp to help her find where to go again. She was too shy. "Um… The guy, Percy Jackson, said this is the right place."

That got the boy's attention. He jerked his head in, first angry, then surprised. "Um… Sorry about that. Yeah, you do belong here. My mistake- let me help you."

He helped her inside and kept her company. There was something that felt almost like déjà vu, yet completely unfamiliar.

As the days rolled by, the brother and sister reunited once more grew closer and closer. That's why it was so shocking for Nico when he heard that Raven had a date and didn't tell him about it. He confronted her about it over dinner.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a date?" He asked, sounding such more upset than he planned.

She shrugged and blushed. "Well, I was a little embarrassed. I wasn't sure how you'd take the news. I doubt you'll… approve, per say."

Nico raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Who is he?"

Raven twisted a strand out hair loose from her braid. "Leo Valdez," She squeaked in a tone sounding more like a question than an answer.

Nico's temper flared up a little, but not much. he knew Leo and they were friends, but Leo knew about who Raven really was and he still wanted to go out with her? Nico wasn't sure if he was ready to share his new sister around with the world just yet. _Gods, _he thought. _I make her sound like some trophy. I'm a sick excuse for a brother…_ With slight difficulty he said, "Okay. Cool, he's a nice guy."

He must have sounded a lot more happy than he thought, because the next thing he knew, he was wrapped into Raven's memorable tight-grip hugs.

Leo's idea of a good first date was simple: eat sandwiches on the beach, talk about whatever came to mind, walk around the camp, and end it with holding her hand, or, if he was lucky enough, a hug. He counted his odds with Raven_. One scary dad, plus one scary brother, plus one very scary Percy, plus everyone else at camp who would hate his guts if he managed to hurt her feelings…_He calculated a few formulas in his head and there was no denying that this had to be the perfect first date. not that he was worried too much about the others maiming him. He was mostly worried about what Raven would say if things went wrong, or what if he accidently broke the rule that they were not to speak of the rebirth thing at all? _Oh gods, there were a million and one ways to ruin things tonight._

Raven was excited for her date. Leo wouldn't tell her what they'd be doing, so she settled for a low-key dress and sandals, her hair blushed and flowing, no makeup. Raven had gotten used to Nico's questioning, worried looks, so she simply said, "It's just a date." Which, in her mind it was.

Nico tried his hardest to ignore the fact that his sister was leaving him again. He was the ghost king—he could handle this. He kept telling himself that all night long, yet he couldn't help but think _what if…_? Unable to handle the uncertainty, he left Cabin 13 and watched them from afar.

He watched Leo and the princess of death walk and laugh, acting like little kids. It was sweet and cute in a way. They were an unlikely pair.

Leo knew Nico was following them on their date. He wasn't sure how to take it at first, but then he understood that if his mother had been reborn, he would want to make sure she was safe too. That's why he talked a little louder and walked a little slower. He knew it was lame, but at the same time he didn't want to hurt Nico. This way, after all, his sister.

As he walked her back to her cabin, Leo told Raven good night.

"Yeah, I had fun. We should do it again sometime," she smiled.

Inside her cabin, she saw the slightest twist in the shadow of the room. Grinning, she went over to her little brother's bed and kissed his "sleeping" forehead.

"Thank you," she whispered, knowing he would hear her, even if he didn't know why.

Even though Nico invaded her privacy, he did it because he loved her, a trait she knew very little about in her past experiences. That was sweet of him.

_No to say I won't kick his butt next time he spies me when a guy is around,_ she thought, laughing.

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**Hm... Not my best one-shot... If you don't like it, I'm sorry! I'll work on a few others in the meantime! :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for going MIA on you guys! Thanks for being so patient!**

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_Nico di Angelo's first Happy Meal Adventure_

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Nico didn't just pop out of the Lotus Casino knowing exactly what everything was in the modern world, obviously. It took time to adjust, but eventually, he got used to it. He frequently ran into building with a playground attached, off to the side and a happy clown outside the main entrance. For the longest time, he'd wanted to go inside and see what wonders awaited him. He wanted to be like those kids playing in the playground, laughing and having fun, while their parents watched over them, talking to other adults.

Once, he asked his older sister Bianca to take him inside, but she refused.

"I don't know what that place is or what it's purpose is," she said with total authority. "I don't want you getting hurt."

Nico couldn't help but stomp his foot and groan. "But Bianca," he said, dragging Bianca's name out for a few seconds. "How will you ever know, if you don't ever look inside?"

Seeing Nico's big brown eyes widen, growing soft, she almost said yes. "Let's go to the park area thing and see what that's about. Then I'll decide if we go in through the entrance, okay?"

Hyper with excitement, Nico jumped up and down, smiling wide. "Thanks, Bianca! You're the best! Y'know what? You're so awesome, I'll even give you my myth-o-magic trading card of Dionysus. A lot of people say he's really lame, but he's actually really powerful if you play him at the right time!"

The older child of Hades smiled, hugging her little brother around the head lightly. "C'mon, let's go see."

Once they got closer to the park, they both saw children playing and burning off energy (which would be great for Nico) and a place for parents to sit down and relax (which would be great for Bianca) and most importantly—food. (Which, would be heaven for both children, as they hadn't eaten for weeks.)

Both children felt their stomach growl. It was really tempting. In fact, they would have gone in, had a strange man with one eye not looked directly at them, scaring the youths' hunger away.

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After Bianca's death, Nico ran away from Camp Half-blood in a rush. He didn't stop running until his feet were sore, panting heavily. He looked around at the unfamiliar city of Manhattan, New York to find one familiar face—the creepy clown from that one place.

_For Bianca_, he thought as he opened the door to the McDonald's restaurant.

He was greeted with the thick, warm smell of grease and fatty food. To his left, there were a bunch of tables and booths, a few of them occupied. There was a college student with a cup of coffee and a lap top, a girl, reading a book in the corner, a stash of French fries in front of her, and a mother with her two children. When he saw her, he felt bitterness fill his mouth and suddenly, he wasn't in the mood to do anything but sit in the far right booth alone.

Looking around, Nico was surprised by how few people were inside McDonald's. The last time he came here, it was packed. _But then again, _he mused,_ that was a long time ago during rush hour._ He wanted to go up to the front counter and order a huge burger the size of Zeus's Fist, but he had no money.

It was then that the mother of the two small children walked up slowly. "Excuse me," she said in a soft voice, almost like a whisper. "You look tired and hungry."

He grudgingly looked up at the older woman. "What gave it away?" He faked a laugh, but if the mother noticed the hateful scorn in his tone, she didn't show it.

"Well, I was just wondering where your parents were," she sat down, leaving about a foot of space between them. "Because a young boy like you shouldn't be left alone in such a busy city."

That struck a nerve. A few nerves, actually. It took almost all of Nico's will power to not punch the old lady, but he imagined Bianca's horrified-angry-disappointed face she made when he did something wrong. Finally, unable to contain his feelings anymore, he began to cry. It was soft at first, but then grew louder and louder, until the mother was holding Nico in her lap. It felt weird to have a stranger show so much concern and loving care, but Nico couldn't fully register it, because he was feeling too depressed and empty inside. "I'm all alone," he managed to hiccup in a raspy voice finally.

Then, the elder lady did something Nico would never forget. She gave him five dollars. "It's all I have," she said. "But it should be enough to cover a happy meal and a large drink. I have to go now, but I wish the best of luck." She kissed Nico on the cheek, before leaving with the children of her own.

_A happy meal… I could use a little happy in me_.

Then, it happened. The moment that changed Nico's diet forever and one of the many reasons Demeter hates him so much—he paid for a happy meal.

After three free refills of Coke and a happy meal, Nico was on the verge of explosion from all the sugary, fatty goodness he'd been missing out on all these long years, wasted.

He took no spare time to jump up and down, play on the play ground and have crazy amounts of fun with his first happy meal toy—a My Little Pony doll he named Princess Sparkle Butt. (The cashier said they were all out of boy toys, but Nico didn't care. He had a pony! _Beat that, Jackson_, he thought. _I have a princess pony and you don't!_

Slowly but surely, the sugar high wore off and Nico had to leave, but before leaving, he left Princess Sparkle Butt hidden in the corner, waiting.

_Now I have a reason to come back again._


	5. Chapter 5

**I was grounded, sorry for the long wait!**

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The time had come. After long months of yelling, fighting, arguing, shadow traveling, hiding, and generally kissing up to everyone he could imagine, Nico was sent to school. To make the matters worse, he not only had to go to high school, but high school with Jason, Percy, Frank, Leo, Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel. He didn't mind them being there, per say. Nico would have just felt a bit easier, if he did not have almost every class with one of the seven.

Thankfully, everyone quickly found their cliques and hangouts. Annabeth stayed with the "real" nerds and stayed in the library, Piper was a surprisingly good artist, who loved painting. Jason was not a football player, much to Nico's dismay, but he was, as Nico suspected, popular, especially with the ladies. Leo was as single as a Pringle, because he was holding out for a special lady he promised he'd come back for one day. (Not that anyone actually knew who or what Leo was talking about…)

Like most children of Hades, Nico was alone, but he liked it that way. He didn't need to be around people to make him happy, like other people.

Every one of the seven managed to balance homework/social life/sleep well, thanks to Annabeth calculating the best schedules and times for how and what everyone would be studying.

'_No one is going to fail on my account,' _she'd informed everyone on their way to school on the first day.

Her plan worked, as usual, making everyone so much happier. The only person who seemed to struggle was Hazel. Nico saw it every passing day.

* * *

"Hazel," he whispered during breakfast one morning. "You look tired. Are you okay?"

She was clearly not okay. Her curly hair was tangled and unmanageable, eyes drained from lack of sleep, her clothes dirty and hung awkwardly around her thinning frame. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just tired." She didn't even bother to look Nico in the eye.

* * *

Later that afternoon, he saw her in the hallway, pulling her aside. He helped her regain her posture, helping her look like normal.

"There," he said, smiling softly. "Now you look like yourself. You sure you're okay?"

She smiled and kissing Nico's forehead. "I'm okay. I feel golden." They both smiled, laughing at their inside joke, before going back to their regular day.

It was not too long after that when finals were just around the corner. It was then that Nico realized what was wrong with his loving sister.

He followed her one day around school, shadow traveling, staying out of sight. She was having a hard time in class, even with the teachers who were usually understanding of kids with ADHD and Dyslexia. It didn't help that she was pushed to the back of the classroom, where all the bad kids were.

The way some of those kids behaved was so inappropriate, Nico thought Hazel was going to faint.

His anger only began to raise inside him, when this idiot started harassing Hazel. He was throwing things at her and whispering disgusting, perverted things in her ear. At that point, Nico was ready to cut him open with Stygian Iron, but he remained as calm as he could. He didn't want to start a scene in class.

The teacher, Ms. Elise, started asking the students questions to review for the final. "Hazel, what is the fifteenth amendment?"

She struggled, tugging on her hair, biting her lip, and stuff like that.

"Well?" Ms. Elise asked after a few minutes.

"Uh… I can't remember," she whispered.

The boy next to her laughed. "Stupid."

That was when he lost any self-control he had. The fight continued out in the hall, where all seven were trying to divide the two boys. Percy tried calming Nico down, but ended up getting sucker-punched. He was unable to think—Nico just reacted, fighting wild from anger. Nico nearly snapped the guys neck. The school had to call six policemen, when Nico's skeleton army, or "gangbangers", got involved. That didn't stop Nico, though. No, this boy was going to pay for hurting his sister. It wasn't until the "superintendent" came, warning Nico he'd be grounded to the Underworld with his stepmom and her mother, forced to eat cereal, and a visit from the goddess of peace, Eirene, herself, that Nico and the boy was separated.

And even that was with reluctance.

A week later, Hazel was put in easier classes, Nico was expelled, and news of what happened to the boy spread around school.

The guy, Kyle, had a broken leg, broken hand, dislocated both his shoulders, and needed a sever surgery of some kind.

Even though Nico was no longer at Goode High, most boys stayed away from Hazel, fearing Nico's return. Little did they know Nico never truly left, shadow traveling and staying hidden with Hazel every day.

_I swear on the Styx to protect you, sister. I'm not going to willingly let you go,_ he silently swore just before she saw him, smiling, before returning to her test.

_La familia._


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm glad so many people like my one-shots and everything. It's the best feeling ever to read new reviews. Love ya!**

As Piper got older, her follow cabin mates began to seriously wonder why she never cared about her looks. They knew, of course, that she wasn't one to care about that, she was a tomboy, and a whole other list of reasons why, but how could she _never _care? It was only human to feel insecure, yet she never showed it.

"I think she does," Lacey said one afternoon, while Piper was away with Jason and Leo. "But she shows her concern secretly."

Drew huffed. "She should just secretly disappear. She _should_ care about how she looks. It's misrepresenting our mother otherwise."

Mitchell threw a heart shaped pillow at his sister. "Don't be stupid. She has confidence. That's what it is."

Lacy nodded, eating fat-free Greek yogurt. "True, but I wonder what made it so hard-core and strong."

Mitchell shrugged his shoulders. "That is where the true mystery lies."

It was later that night, at dinner, that Lacey got around to asking Piper about her unwavering confidence.

Piper looked down at her plate of salad, blushing ever so slightly. She speared a carrot. "It's not that interesting of a story."

Lacey groaned softly. "_Please_? Let me the story."

Giving into Lacey's puppy face, Piper began to tell the story.

_It was my fourteenth birthday, but Dad was called into work, so there I sat in his dressing room, wishing I was not alone. After about an hour of waiting, I sighed, leaving the set. I walked around town, looking for something to do, when I saw a commercial for Dad's new movie. I was so distracted by it, I didn't notice where I was going and fell in a puddle of mud. _No biggie,_ I thought, buying a new shirt from the thrift store. _

_As I was looking around for the shirt, I was still covered in mud, my knees scrapped a little, but not too bad. Hair was sticking out in odd places and was annoyingly hanging in my eyes. I felt and thought I looked disgusting. I walked right by a family of a mom and her daughter, who was about six years old. As I walked by, I heard the little girl say, 'I wanna look like her when I'm older.'_

"That's why I never worry about my looks as much as you think. I think about that little girl who thought I was so pretty when I was a mess. It wasn't that she said I looked good. It was that she honestly meant it, without even knowing me, seeing me for who I was—a normal girl without makeup, having a bad day. Not the child of a celebrity or as the daughter of Aphrodite."

Lacey's eyes watered up slightly as she did a mini fangirl dance in her seat. "That is so sweet, I might cry, but I don't want to ruin my mascara."

Piper rolled her eyes affectionately, smiling. "This is why it was my secret."


End file.
